Little Big Town’s New Album Is ‘Not a Country Record’

Little Big Town are set to release a new album, and it's a turn in a very different direction for the award-winning vocal group.

The band recently announced the release of Wanderlust, a new eight-song album on which they collaborated with producer Pharrell Williams. The surprise album is due June 10.

“It’s not a country record,” Karen Fairchild tells Billboard. “And it’s not like anything we’ve ever done. It’s fun to be spontaneous and put it out there to the fans, because we want to, and not to overthink it, but just because it has brought us a lot of joy, and we think it will for them as well. So why not? We’re going with our gut and putting it out there. It’s just music, you know?”

The new project was just as surprising for the members of LBT as it is for their fans. It began in January, when Williams came to Nashville to try to write with the band. They were so pleased with the results that it turned into more collaboration, and finally the group felt they had to make the music available to fans.

“We respect him so much that we wanted something fantastic to come out of it, but that doesn’t always happen when you put so much pressure on a writing situation,” Fairchild observes. “But luckily it did happen. He loves Southern harmonies — he’s from Virginia — and is a big fan of country music. He’s good at anything, and such a joy to be around. This music is fun and inspiring, and very hopeful for what’s going on in our crazy world these days. Hopefully it’ll bring a lot of smiles and dancing to people.”

Little Big Town debuted a song from the project, "One of Those Days," during the season finale of The Voice, and while they're not sure what other promotional activities they'll undertake to promote Wanderlust, Fairchild would love to see one special event come to pass.

“We’re lucky to be Grand Ole Opry members, and I don’t know if we can talk him into that, but wouldn’t that be fun, to invite Pharrell to the Opry and introduce him to Nashville? He’s gonna love everybody there,” she says.

In the meantime, fans don't need to worry that Little Big Town have abandoned their country roots. The group have also been in the studio working on a new album with producer Jay Joyce, who helmed their most recent studio effort, 2014's Pain Killer.